Disclosed herein is a wireless electrical charging apparatus, including: a power-supply unit configured to generate power to be transferred to a power receiving apparatus; a power transferring device configured to transfer power generated by the power-supply unit to the power receiving apparatus; a power relaying device capable of relaying power transferred by the power transferring device to the power receiving apparatus; and a power-relaying-device moving mechanism section configured to move the power relaying device.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A wireless electrical charging apparatus, comprising: a power-supply unit configured to generate power to be transferred to a power receiving apparatus; a power transferring device configured to transfer the power generated by the power-supply unit to the power receiving apparatus; a power relaying device configured to relay the power transferred by the power transferring device to the power receiving apparatus; a power-relaying-device moving mechanism section configured to move the power relaying device; an impedance matching detector configured to detect an impedance matching state from a transferred-power signal generated in the wireless electrical charging apparatus; and a power-transfer control section configured to control the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section to adjust a position of the power relaying device so as to expose the power relaying device to the power transferring device in order to provide the impedance matching state in accordance with a result of detection carried out by the impedance matching detector, wherein, the power transferring device includes a first resonance element configured to transfer power received from the power-supply unit to the power receiving apparatus, the power relaying device includes a second resonance element configured to receive power supplied by the first resonance element via a magnetic-field resonance and transfer the power to the power receiving apparatus via the magnetic-field resonance, the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section is configured to move the power relaying device between (i) a first state in which the power relaying device does not relay the power transferred by the power transferring device to the power receiving apparatus and (ii) a second state in which the power relaying device relays the power transferred by the power transferring device to the power receiving apparatus, and the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section is configured to at least adjust the position of the power relaying device so as to expose the power relaying device to the power transferring device.
2. The wireless electrical charging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a power-relaying-device accommodation section configured to accommodate the power relaying device when the power relaying device is not being used, wherein: (i) when the power relaying device is not being used to relay the power transferred by the power transferring device to the power receiving apparatus, the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section keeps the power relaying device in the power-relaying-device accommodation section so that the power relaying device does not receive magnetic fluxes generated by the power transferring device, and (ii) when the power relaying device is being used to relay the power transferred by the power transferring device to the power receiving apparatus, the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section moves the power relaying device out of the power-relaying-device accommodation section so that the power relaying device receives the magnetic fluxes generated by the power transferring device.
3. The wireless electrical charging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: the power-transfer control section is configured (i) to receive information on a level of the power transferred by the power transferring device to the power relaying device and (ii) to control the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section to adjust the position of the power relaying device so as to expose the power relaying device to the power transferring device in order to raise the level indicated by the received information.
4. The wireless electrical charging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein: prior to an actual transfer of power from the power transferring device to the power receiving apparatus, the power-transfer control section is configured to control the power transferring device to transfer less power than the power to be transferred in the actual transfer of power, and, with the power transferring device controlled to enter a state of transferring power less than the power to be transferred in the actual transfer of power, the power-transfer control section controls the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section to adjust the position of the power relaying device so as to expose the power relaying device to the power transferring device in order to provide the impedance matching state in accordance with the result of detection carried out by the impedance matching detector, and the power-transfer control section controls the power transferring device to transfer regular the power in the actual transfer of power after controlling the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section to adjust the position of the power relaying device so as to expose the power relaying device to the power transferring device.
5. A wireless electrical charging system, comprising: (1) a wireless electrical charging apparatus including (a) power-supply unit configured to generate power to be used for electrically charging a battery included in a power receiving apparatus, (b) a power transferring device configured to transfer the power generated by the power-supply unit to the power receiving apparatus, (c) a power relaying device configured to relay the power transferred by the power transferring device to the power receiving apparatus, (d) a power-relaying-device moving mechanism section configured to move said power relaying device, the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section being configured to move the power relaying device between (i) a first state in which the bower relaying device does not relay the power transferred by the power transferring device to the power receiving apparatus and (ii) a second state in which the power relaying device relays the power transferred by the power transferring device to the power receiving apparatus, and (e) a power-relaying-device accommodation section configured to accommodate the power relaying device when the power relaying device is not being used; and (2) the power receiving apparatus including a power receiving device configured to receive the power transferred by the power transferring device of the wireless electrical charging apparatus via a magnetic-field resonance either directly from the power transferring device or from the power relaying device, and to electrically charge the battery, wherein, (a) the power transferring device includes a first resonance element configured to receive power supplied by the power-supply unit and to transfer said power to the power receiving device, (b) the power relaying device includes a second resonance element configured to receive power supplied by the first resonance element via through the magnetic-field resonance and relay the received power to the power receiving device via the magnetic-field resonance, (c) the power receiving device includes a third resonance element configured to receive the power transferred by the transferring device to the power receiving device via the magnetic-field resonance relation either directly from the first resonance element in the power transferring device or from the second resonance element in the power relaying device (d) the power receiving apparatus further includes (i) a power-receiving-side radio communication section configured to transmit a radio signal to the wireless electrical charging apparatus, (ii) a level detection section configured to detect a level of power received by the power receiving apparatus, and (iii) a power-receiving-side power-transfer control section configured to control the power-receiving-side radio communication section to transmit a radio signal conveying information on a level detected by the level detection section as the level of power received by the power receiving apparatus to the wireless electrical charging apparatus, (e) the wireless electrical charging apparatus further includes (i) a power-supplying-side radio communication section configured to receive the radio signal conveying the information on the level of power received by the power receiving apparatus from the power receiving apparatus, and (ii) a power-supplying-side power-transfer control section configured to receive the information on the level of power from the power receiving apparatus through the power-supplying-side radio communication section and control the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section to adjust a position of the power relaying device so as to expose the power wer transferring device in order to raise the level indicated by the received information, (f) the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section is configured to at least adjust the position of the power relaying device so as to expose the power relaying device to the power transferring device, (g) when the power relaying device is not being used to relay the power transferred by the power transferring device to the power receiving apparatus, the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section keeps the power relaying device in the power-relaying-device accommodation section so that the power relaying device does not receive magnetic fluxes generated by the power transferring device, and (h) when the power relaying device is being used to relay the power transferred by the power transferring device to the power receiving apparatus, the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section moves the power relaying device out of the power-relaying-device accommodation section so that the power relaying device receives the magnetic fluxes generated by the power transferring device.
6. The wireless electrical charging system according to claim 5 , wherein: prior to an actual transfer of power from the power transferring device to the power receiving apparatus, the power-supplying-side power-transfer control section is configured to control the power transferring device to transfer less power than the power to be transferred in the actual transfer of power, and, with the power transferring device controlled to enter a state of transferring power less than the power to be transferred in the actual transfer of power, the power-transfer control section controls the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section to adjust the position of the power relaying device so as to expose the power relaying device to the power transferring device in order to raise the level of power transferred by the power transferring device, and the power-supplying-side power-transfer control section controls the power transferring device to transfer the power in the actual transfer of power after controlling the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section to adjust the position of the power relaying device so as to expose the power relaying device to the power transferring device.
7. The wireless electrical charging system according to claim 5 , wherein the wireless electrical charging apparatus further includes: an impedance matching detector configured to detect an impedance matching state from a transferred-power signal generated in the wireless electrical charging apparatus, and a power-transfer control section configured to control the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section to adjust the position of the power relaying device so as to expose the power relaying device to the power transferring device in order to provide the impedance matching state in accordance with a result of detection carried out by the impedance matching detector.
8. The wireless electrical charging system according to claim 7 , wherein: prior to an actual transfer of power from the power transferring device to the power receiving apparatus, the power-transfer control section is configured to control the power transferring device to transfer less power than the power to be transferred in the actual transfer of power, and, with the power transferring device controlled to enter a state of transferring less power than the power to be transferred in the actual transfer of power, the power-transfer control section controls the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section to adjust the position of the power relaying device so as to expose the power relaying device to the power transferring device in order to provide the impedance matching state in accordance with the result of detection carried out by the impedance matching detector, and the power-transfer control section controls the power transferring device to transfer the power in the actual transfer of power after controlling the power-relaying-device moving mechanism section to adjust the position of the power relaying device so as to expose the power relaying device to the power transferring device.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
January 21, 2011
October 14, 2014
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